86' Continental No Start/No Fuel Pressure

[kescobar]

Hi guys, I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. My 86' Conti has developed a no start issue. Car was working before until it sat for two weeks and now it cranks but won't catch. I suspect its a fuel delivery issue as I'm not getting any pressure at the schrader valve and when carb cleaner is sprayed into the intake tract while cranking the motor turns on, but only stays running while spray is being applied.
Fuel pump primes upon key being switched to the "on" position but again no fuel pressure. A couple things that has me puzzled.
1) When key is placed in the "acc" position there is absolutely no response or reaction
2) When test light is probing the fuel pump relay wiring(or inertia switch wiring) I can hear the fuel pump whirring. Same thing happens when I probe the test port with the test light as well.

Both above occurrences has me thinking this may be a grounding issue? PCM issue? Not sure, I'm at a loss and need to get the car moved from the street to the driveway to avoid a ticket.

Many thanks!

 

[joegr]

When you say "primes", I assume you really mean that you can hear it running, but it's not actually pumping fuel anywhere?

No fuel pumps are ever powered in the accessory position. The fuel pump will run for a few seconds when you turn the key on, but then stop if the engine is not running.
Exactly which signals are you probing? Are you saying that your probing causes the fuel pump to start running?
Have you removed the external filter and checked to see if fuel is getting there? Maybe it's completely clogged?

 

[kescobar]

My mistake, but yes you're correct, by "priming" I mean I could hear the pump whirring. As for the accessory position note, I just brought it up because I found it strange that in the acc position nothing powers up, no radio no gauge cluster, nothing....in my other cars usually a handful of systems receive power by that point, but yes agreed, the fuel pump usually powers up on the 2nd click of the key.
Mmhmm, whenever I poke the wiring with my test(any of the two wires from the inertia switch or the power wire from the fuel pump relay)I get the audible sound from the pump. Not sure if by contacting the wire with my test light if that's creating a ground for the circuit? I remember reading somewhere that the EEC or PCM is responsible for ground the circuit and creating the connection.
As for the external filter, I haven't checked it yet but I do have a new one in the garage for my Mark VII, might be worth throwing it on there.

 

[joegr]

... As for the accessory position note, I just brought it up because I found it strange that in the acc position nothing powers up, no radio no gauge cluster, nothing...

I would expect that the accessory position should power up the radio and windows and maybe a few other things, but not usually the gauges. Many cars have this switch sequence: off-locked, off-unlocked(steering wheel and shifter), accessory, run, and lastly start. I would suspect that your 86 is different. The 70s and 80s Fords that i had were. You turn the key counter clockwise one more click from the off-locked position to go to the accessory position. Have you tried that?

 

[kescobar]

Would a faulty fuel pressure regulator cause a low pressure situation?I tested the fuel injectors for pulse using a noid light and I’m getting signal so they’re definitely firing.Thinking of maybe doing a dead head test to see if the fuel pump is creating adequate pressure.

 

[kescobar]

Just thought I'd update the thread. Issue turned out to be a torn fuel line inside the fuel pump assembly. Ended up replacing the whole assembly and now it's back to starting up without issues